Fornia



. Patehtd Feb. l4, I899.

w. L. MILLER & w. E. NICHOLS.

V A L S E (Application fild June 28, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\V'ILLIAM L. MILLER AND WILLIAM E. NICHOLS, OF GROGKETT, GALI- FORNIA; SAID MILLER ASSIGNOR TO SAID NICHOLS.

VALISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,495, dated February 14, 1899. Application filed June 28, 1898- Serial NO- 684,662- (N0 model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM L. MILLER and WILLIAM E. NICHOLS, citizens of the United States, residing at Crockett, in the county of Contra Costa and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valises and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to valises, satchels, bags, and other like receptacles; and it consists in the means for swinging open the clasps which embrace and hold together the frame members of the valise or otherreceptacle and automatically lifting said clasps to permit the frame members to close again, together with springs adapted to separate and hold open said members when relieved from the clasps.

The object of our invention is to simplify the operation of opening and closing valises and the like. These matters will all be made clear by the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side View of a valise, showing our improvements on one side in section. Fig. 2 is a top view, parts being broken away to show our improvements on one side. Fig. 3 is an end view showing the automatic lifting of the clasp and a part being broken away to show the opening-spring. Fig. 4 is an end view showing the clasp closed. Fig. 5 is a section on line 00 0c of Fig. 1;

Ais a valise, satchel, or other bag or receptacle having the customary frame composed of the opposing members B B, hinged together at their extremities at 1), whereby said members may swing to form the mouth of the bag, adapted to open and close, all in the usual manner.

0 G are the pivoted or swinging clasps, oc-

cupying the usual positions and adapted to embrace when turned down both members of the frame and to hold the valise closed and when turned up to relieve said members and permit the valise to be opened.

I To the under side of one member B of the frame is secured or formed a casing or housing D, which conceals and protects the operating mechanism.

From the pivotal shaft or axis 0 of each clasp 0 extends downwardly into casing D, Fig. 1, a crank-arm c, to which is secured, preferably by hooking into a hole in said crank-arm, a rod E. These two rods, one from each crank-arm, extend within the easing D toward the middle, and they each pass through a fixed bearing 61 within said casing, Figs. 1 and 2. Their inner or adjacent ends are fitted or provided with finger-lugs or buttons F, which project outwardly to the exterior of the valise, Figs. 2 and 5, and they play in elongated slots 1), as seen in Fig. 2.

Each rod E is provided with a spring 6, which lies between a collar or shoulder e on the rod and the fixed bearing d, and the action of said springs is that by pressing together the finger-lugs F, .thus pulling inwardly on the rods, said springs are con densed, with the result that when the fingerlugs are released the springs will return the rods. Now as said rods are connected with the crank-arms c. of clasps 0 it will be seen that when the finger-lugs F are pressed together the clasps C will be thrown upwardly to allow the bag to be opened, and when the finger-lugs are released the clasps will be thrown down again.

Now in order to render the operation of clasping the bag closed as automatic as possible we avoid the necessity of holding the finger-lugs F together in order to keep the clasps raised while the members B B of the frame are closed together. This end we accomplish by providing for the automatic lifting of the clasps by the very act of closing the frame, which result is reached by means of the inclined planes or-cam-lugs c on the extremity of each clasp, Figs. 3 and 4:. These cam-lugs are so arranged that their inclined or operative faces are presented to the impingement of the edge of the member B of the frame, as shown in Fig. 3, in such manner that as the membercloses in it will cause the cam-lugs to ride up on it, and thus lift the clasps sufficiently to allow'the frame member to pass under. Then when the cam-lugs are relieved the clasps return underthe influence of the springs e to embrace the frame, as in Fig. 4, and hold the valise closed.

A final construction consists in the provision of the springs G, one at each hinge b of manner that their tendency is to throw the frame members apart, and thus open the valise. Therefore and as a rsum of the operation and effects of these several constructions it will be seen that to open the valise, assuming it to be unlocked, all that is necessary is to press the finger-lugs F together.

Thereupon the clasps swing up and the springs G throw the valise open, and what is of great convenience they hold it open, thus giving perfect freedom and ease to reach its contents. Now to close the valise all that is to be done is to press the frame members together and the clasps are automatically operated, as heretofore described.

In the ordinary valise there is, in addition to the lock, acatch device in proximity thereto operated by a slide-button. This we dispense with entirely and use any ordinary or suit-able lock, the position of which we indi cate by II. This lock is to be actuated by a key, as usual. The claspin g or holding apart from the lock we eifect wholly by the clasps O O, and as we omit the usual catch we have one less operation than is necessary in the ordinary valise construction, which requires, first, a key-unlocking; second, a catch-release by the slide'button, and, third, the direct release by two hands, or by one hand successively, of the two clasps. This last oper ation is notoriously an inconvenient and frequently an exasperating one both in opening and closing, for the clasps drop back as fast as released, and thus hold the bag closed or prevent it from closing; but in our invention we have only, first, the key-unlocking, and, second, the positive, simultaneous, and, in a measure, automatic operation of both clasps, and in addition to this we have the great convenience of the bag opening and holding springs G.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a valise, and the like, and in combination with the swinging clasp which embraces and holds together the members of the frame, said clasp having a crank-arm projecting downwardly from its axis or pivot, a rod connected with said crank-arm and extending therefrom below the tops of the frame members in the direction of the transverse vertical central plane of the valise, a movable finger-lug connected with the inner end of said rod and projecting exteriorly from the side of one frame member whereby the rod may be pulled in, to swing the clasp, to open the valise, and a spring on the rod adapted to return it and to swing the clasp to a closed position.

2. In a valise, and the like, the combination of a swinging clasp adapted to embrace and hold together the members of the frame of said valise, a spring arranged to normally hold said clasp in its operative position, and means whereby the closing of the frame members together will lift said clasp to permit the members to close and allow said clasp to re turn.

3. In avalise, and the like, the combination of a swinging clasp adapted to embrace and hold together the members of the frame of said valise, a spring arran ged to normally hold said clasp in its operative position, and a cam-lug on said clasp against which a member of the frame is adapted toimpinge in closing and thereby to lift said clasp for the purpose described.

4. In avalise, and the like, the combination of the swinging clasp adapted to embrace and hold together the frame members of said valise, a movable finger-lug and connections to swing said clasp, a spring to hold it normally closed, and a cam-lug on the clasp, acted on by the closing frame member to lift the clasp for the purpose described.

5. In a valise, and the like, the combination of the swinging clasp adapted to embrace and hold together the frame members of said Valise, the movable finger-lug, the spring-controlled rod and crank-arm by which said clasp is operated, and the cam-lug on the clasp acted on by the closing frame member to lift the clasp for the purpose described.

6. In a valise, and the like, the combination of its hinged frame members, the springs arranged to separate and hold said members apart, the swinging clasps to hold them together, the finger-lugs and connections to operate the clasps to release said members, springs to normally hold said clasps closed, and the cam-lugs on the clasps adapted, under the impingement of the closing member, to lift said clasps, for the purpose described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

IVILLIAM L. MILLER. IVILLIAM E. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

ALVIN A. PAUL, J AMES M. LAOKEY. 

